Seeing this promotional poster, Zhao Haiping's eyes lit up.
"A new dungeon? The Dongyi people... could it be a dungeon set during the Great Sheng Dynasty?"
Although Zhao Haiping's knowledge of history wasn't as extensive as Chu Ge's, he knew the basics. The Great Sheng Dynasty was the last unified dynasty of China, and during its later years, the power of the Dongyi people reached its peak. They crossed the seas and repeatedly attacked the southeastern borders of the Great Sheng, even plotting large-scale invasions. Although the war ended in a comprehensive victory for the Great Sheng Dynasty, the Dongyi people caused significant damage to the southeastern coast.
The figures in the poster represented a typical Dongyi army, covering the various standard appearances of Dongyi bandits.
What puzzled Zhao Haiping, however, was why the background was a modern square. Wouldn't an ancient battlefield have more atmosphere?
Moreover, the players in the poster were dressed in modern casual attire, not appearing as warriors or assassins from the game.
With these questions in mind, Zhao Haiping continued reading the update notes for *Dark Sands*' new gameplay mode.
"*Dark Sands* New Mixed Reality (MR) Mode 'Demon Invasion' Coming Soon!
Game Overview: The demons entrenched in historical fragments are attempting to enter the real world and wreak havoc. Seasoned Orderers, head to the intersections of historical fragments and reality to crush the demon invasion!
Eligibility: Players who have cleared any of *Dark Sands*' trial dungeons and obtained a role as either an Assassin, Warrior, Scholar, or Ranger are eligible.
Event Location: This event is an offline activity conducted in mixed reality mode. Click on the activity map to view specific locations.
Special Note: This offline event serves as a prelude to the new game version. After the event, *Dark Sands* will launch the Great Sheng Dynasty dungeons and open various new gameplay modes, including online multiplayer. All players are encouraged to participate!"
In addition, there were some details and additional notes. The main point was that any player who had cleared a trial dungeon could participate in this event. Even those unfamiliar with the rules would be fine; they just needed to show up on-site. A guided flow would be arranged at the scene.
Zhao Haiping was stunned. He couldn't have imagined the game would go this far—VR wasn't enough for them; they were now holding an MR event! MR, or mixed reality, combines virtual reality with the real world, allowing players to experience a unique gameplay experience by projecting VR content into their real-world view through specific MR equipment.
However, MR technology was still underdeveloped. Even though VR technology in this world could achieve over 50% realism, the MR industry remained underdeveloped, as MR requires even more complex technology.
But *Dark Sands* actually managed to pull off MR? And they were confident it would be as good as VR? This was unprecedented!
The official website made it clear that the "Demon Invasion" MR game mode was not an isolated offline event; it was directly connected to future game updates.
He had to participate, no question about it! Whether it was to experience a 100% realistic MR game or to get a head start on the new content, he couldn't miss this event.
Zhao Haiping checked the time and location. The event was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. the next day, with participants required to arrive 15 to 20 minutes early for equipment setup.
The timing was fine; even if it wasn't the weekend, Zhao Haiping would take leave for this. Work wasn't as important as this!
The event locations were mostly near Tiandu City, with the nearest one just over two kilometers away—so close!
Without further ado, he signed up immediately. The event had no overall participant limit, but players were encouraged to register across various sites to ensure that even remote locations had enough participants. Each location had a different cap on the number of attendees, possibly due to venue size differences. Larger venues could hold more people, which made sense.
He was curious, though, about how *Dark Sands*' developers had chosen these locations. There didn't seem to be any pattern to them. If this were a marketing strategy, wouldn't it make more sense to host events in major cities nationwide?
He couldn't figure it out, but considering *Dark Sands*' developers were known for their unconventional thinking, it probably wasn't worth overanalyzing. All that mattered was that there was an event to attend; that alone was a win.
…
The next day at 1:30 p.m., Zhao Haiping arrived at the event location. It was a tech park with a large area and several office buildings. While it wasn't in the best location in Tiandu City, the land certainly wasn't cheap. The event venue was inside this tech park.
Getting out of his car at the entrance, Zhao was surprised by how few people were around. Although it was a day off and few people would be working, the area was eerily quiet. The tech park had some small commercial areas, including a small mall, a few restaurants, and a gym, but there wasn't a single person in sight.
As he approached the entrance, a man around forty years old with a stubbly beard stopped him.
"There's a special event today, and the entire tech park has been reserved. No unauthorized access," the man said.
Du Gang had already turned away many people. He was responsible for securing this tech park. While he was still unsure if the Orderer business was real, it was potentially a critical safety concern, and he needed to strictly enforce the restrictions, allowing no unauthorized personnel.
Zhao Haiping quickly understood why it was so empty. *Dark Sands*' developers had reserved the entire tech park, with no spectators allowed!
It was impressive, really—deep pockets meant they could do anything.
"I'm here for the *Dark Sands* offline event," Zhao explained, showing his ID.
Du Gang took his ID, cross-referencing it with the registration list before nodding. "You're the first player to clear the Warrior trial?"
Zhao nodded. "That's me."
Du Gang felt a mix of admiration and envy. If he didn't know the whole truth, he would have loved to participate in this event. But now, he was just staff.
Returning the ID, Du Gang pointed him inside. "Head in and follow the signs to collect your gaming equipment."
Zhao glanced inside and noted that the event was very well-organized. The tech park was filled with staff—far more than he had expected—and there were numerous signs guiding participants. There was even a designated area for collecting gaming equipment.
"This company is seriously well-funded. They've got more staff here than actual players! And it seems they're strictly forbidding any spectators. It's like they've put the place under martial law—the atmosphere is intense."
He noticed that the staff had a different vibe than usual. Typically, event staff were all smiles, providing friendly service, but here, everyone looked dead serious, as if they were sending him to the front lines.
The staff didn't seem like regular people; they felt more like an armed military unit, radiating a strong aura.
Even though Zhao knew this was just a game—a leisure event—he couldn't help feeling a slight nervousness, as if he really were about to enter a battlefield.